Office of Tax and Revenue: Press Release

(Washington, DC) The Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) announced today that over 158,000 real property tax bills for the 2003 first half tax year were mailed this week to District property owners. These tax bills reflect current and past due real property tax liabilities. In addition, some of these tax bills reflect a retroactive collection of real property taxes from those property owners who erroneously received the homestead and/or senior citizen tax credit.

If a taxpayer does not receive a real property tax bill in the mail, they are encouraged to call OTR Customer Service at (202) 727-4TAX (727-4829). Failure to receive a tax bill does not justify non-payment of taxes owed. If a tax payment is late, the property owner will be charged a 10 percent penalty and 1.5 percent interest for each full or partial month the payment was late. If a mortgage company makes the tax payment on behalf of the property owner, the property owner must ensure that payments are made by the due date of March 31.

Approximately one percent of the 2003 second half tax year bills will not be mailed this week because they have been delayed due to payment adjustments, adjustments in homestead or senior citizen tax benefits, or adjustments to assessed value to reflect appeal decisions from the Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals. These "delayed" bills will be mailed on March 21, 2003 and payment will be due April 25, 2003.

For more information about the homestead and/or senior citizen tax relief programs, a property owner may call (202) 727-4TAX (727-4829). If a property owner believes he or she is already eligible for this tax relief, they should make an appointment with a customer service representative in our Customer Service Walk-in Center at 941 North Capitol Street, NE, on the first floor, and bring along documentation to substantiate their eligibility.